Cars like these felt like a stamped out appliance instead of something people actually wanted to own.

But now, the rising gas prices of the last few years have resulted in automakers shifting their focus to higher efficiency, compact cars. Now that the cars are no longer an afterthought; there are truly some great competitors available.

The new Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, and others have injected style and substance into what was once a lackluster market. We recently spent a week with another competitor in the class, the Mazda2, to get an impression of what it would be like to live with everyday.

The Mazda2 is a stablemate to the Ford Fiesta. While both share a platform, they play to different markets.

The Fiesta is the heavier, more powerful, and more luxurious member of the family. Mazda has built the 2 with less power, less weight, and fewer luxuries.

But it also comes in at a lower price. Our top-of-the-line Touring model tester came in at just shy of $17,000. A base Ford Fiesta will cost you the same as our fully equppied 2.

Over the course of the week we used this as our everyday car. We commuted from the suburbs into Manhattan, drove in traffic, ran errands, and went to the gym. We did not drive it through a slalom, time 0-60 runs, or take it camping, since those are not things that people do each day.